Time
by nerdyshaunhastings
Summary: Matt waits, counting down time. [Inspired by OTP Prompts over at Tumblr]


He sits, perched on the cross of the church, watching as the world quickly, slowly and stops all at the same time. Death is quite an interesting thing, Matt decides. He'd like to investigate more. There's no Heaven, there's no Hell and he's sure many religious folk are disappointed when they die. Or maybe relieved.

Still, he's lonely but he waits.

It's soon, he's certain of it. He can _feel_ it.

_(10 Minutes)_

Mello is driving down the highway, Takada is in the back. Matt wants to tell Mello that she's going to kill him. But Matt isn't allowed to interfere with fate or however this works. He's just not allowed, because when Death wants a life, Death takes the life.

Whatever.

So he entertains himself with memories of their time at Wammy's. Mello was an angry boy, with a complex. It was almost fascinating, and the only reason Matt forced himself away from fantasy worlds, because Mello was animated, had so many expressions and was so easily angered. Matt found solace in his anger, because it almost reminded him of home. He knew all of Mello's buttons.

In a way, Mello was a game to Matt.

_(5 Minutes)_

It's a whisper, in his ear and Matt grins. He sits up, higher now. The truck is nearing, he can see it in the distance.

Matt remembers sunlight, and rain, he remembers the way Mello studied relentlessly. Obsessively, and Matt had gone to one of the caretakers one day, out of concern. Mello wasn't eating. Mello wasn't sleeping. He was told to be as diligent as Mello.

Matt hated her after that, and went out of his way to piss her off and make her cry.

And when the results came out, Mello had thrown a fit. Red-faced, teary eyed, immature. He cannot surpass Near, he cannot get to L's level.

A kill himself. That's how sick that place was, now that Matt thinks about it. B went insane. Or maybe B had always been insane.

Maybe they're all sociopaths, and B is the only one who really acted out on it. Who fucking knows.

_(3 Minutes)_

He remembers kissing Mello. Matt doesn't know what had compelled him to kiss the moody boy, but he did. His lips were soft, like a girls. Of course, Mello had punched him. And forced Matt to buy him chocolate with his allowance. He had a black eye for a week.

He'd kissed Mello again, way later on, two weeks. after Mello had recovered from the explosion. Mello didn't punch him this time around.

Mello is near. The heart beat thrums through him.

_(2 Minutes)_

It's stronger and stronger.

Mello is parked right below.

Matt doesn't want to revel in memories, but limbs and sweat and kisses. But that won't happen. Maybe the afterlife won't be that great after all. Who knows.

When Matt found Mello, in the rubble, face and arm badly burned, he'd worried. He fretted and helped take care of Mello. He bathed him, he got ointment and painkillers. When Mello was out, delirious, sick, he'd cry out for some woman. His mother, Matt had assumed.

It was then that Matt had realized that Mello was still a scared little boy on the inside.

They had made love, they had fucked, months after.

_(60 Seconds)_

Takada had written Mello's name on the piece of paper now, and Matt is tempted to snap her neck. If anyone should be allowed to live, it's Mello. Oh sure, Near should be able to live as well but Matt doesn't care about Near.

Okay, maybe he does, but that's because he could never get under Near's skin. Near had always been impassive, untouchable. Near is boring to Matt.

Sundays were always lazy at Wammy's, where Mello had put down his studies to pay attention to Matt, to play outside with the other kids. Or maybe beat one of them up. Whichever Mello had felt like doing, really. They would sometimes wander quite the distance away from the dump orphanage, and chill far away. Where it was quiet and just them.

They would even sneak out late at night, head to town. Matt would try flirting with older women, who would giggle and indulge him, while Mello glared at them and drag Matt away, grumbling about something. Matt would laugh the entire time, and find other women and try to charm them. They would even give him suckers, and Mello chocolate sometimes.

He lives for those days, because he has all of eternity to relive these memories. And the idea of this makes him sad, makes him lonely. But that's okay, Matt figures. His part in this story is done.

At least he made a tiny difference.

_(0 Seconds)_

Matt can't help the large grin that crosses his face as Mello joins him. At first, Mello is confused with furrowed brows and a frown. Those alluring blue eyes that pull Matt in, and he knows Mello will punch him, but Matt hugs him.

He doesn't expect Mello's lips to press against his ear, he expects muscles to tense. Physical affection was never a thing in Wammy's. Mello never liked hugs, anyways.

"I'm sorry I got you killed."


End file.
